Picking Up the Pieces
The old Pieces of Eight (550 N. Harbor Dr.) is becoming a distant memory. (When I was a kid, the restaurant’s interior reminded me of the Regal Beagle from “Three’s Company.”) And its old digs are quickly becoming a distant memory. Right now, as the Harbor House – Pieces of Eight’s replacement – takes shape, there isn’t a lot to see. Except work in progress – men in hard hats, dump trucks and piles of building materials. Once completed, the Harbor House, as envisioned by the partnership behind it (Mike Cudahy and Joe Bartolotta) will look like a seafood restaurant from Cape Cod. Its exterior will be gray cedar shake with white trim. Joe B has been quoted saying this location offers the best view in the city. That’s certainly a controversial statement. The cold calm of sailboats floating on the gray-blue Lake Michigan waves, nearby the piratey masts of the Denis Sullivan. You may have an opinion on whether a restaurant is the best use of this space, but it would be hard to think of a local restaurateur better equipped to build a successful dining establishment. Once Harbor House opens in mid-July, it will ostensibly have it all – a 180-seat dining room, two outdoor patios (one, overlooking the lake, will seat 100) and a raw bar (oysters, clams, etc.). The menu, too, seems rather complete, with salads and sandwiches to steak, pastas and fresh seafood.
Burger Blitz
If you follow AJ Bombers on Twitter, you couldn’t have missed the barrage of Tweets about “Foods Wars.” Today (Thursday, May 6), tomorrow and Saturday, a crew from the Travel Channel is filming segments for the burger battle between Bombers and Sobelman’s. The show touts this match as a battle between the “old school, established ‘best burger’ in Milwaukee [Sobelman’s] and… the new kid on the block [Bombers].” Both burger purveyors have been dutifully building the drama. On a recent TMJ4 “Live at Daybreak” segment, Bombers’ Joe Sorge gave Dave Sobelman an AJ Bombers T-shirt, which Sobelman refused to wear. And Sobelman wrote a set of surrender terms, which the warring burger men then destroyed. Sorge is confident that AJ Bombers will win. Sobelman, of course, is sure that hisburger will take the crown. On Saturday, the Travel Channel will capture the burger face-off at the “neutral location,” Downtown’s Bar Louie (1114 N. Water St.). A cadre of judges (selected by the Travel Channel people) will be taste the burgers and crown the winner, who will earn the distinction of identifying his creation as “the best burger” on his menu. The other will have to label his as “second best.” This is truly a nail-bitter. As you can imagine, Bombers’ fans descended on the Water Street bar (corner of Water and Knapp) earlier today for a chance to be part of the filming. Tomorrow (Friday), the Travel Channel will film late morning at Sobelman’s (1900 W. St. Paul Ave.). If you want to see a piece of the burger action, the Bar Louie shoot will begin at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. No word yet on the air date for this “Food Wars” episode.
Spring’s the Thing
Signs of spring are popping up outside our (new) office in the Third Ward. They include a small honey locust tree crowned with leaves; lots of birds, which, very sadly, crash into our windows; and pedestrians clad in shorts. At North Star American Bistro, spring means shrimp pappardelle, seafood risotto, and pan-seared scallops with sun-dried tomato aioli. The spring menu is out at both locations – 4515 N. Oakland Ave., in Shorewood; and 19115 W. Capitol Dr., in Brookfield. (At some point, the Shorewood location will move to a new space in the Cornerstone Building, at the corner of Oakland and Kensington in Shorewood. Sara O’Neil – whose husband is co-owner Duffy O’Neil – is designing the interior.) Other new dinner items for spring: lobster and shrimp roll with mango sweet-sour dipping sauce ($9.95), filet mignon with horseradish butter ($22.95), prosciutto chicken ($19.95), roasted pork shoulder with spring pea and shiitake mushroom risotto ($17.95), and two pizzas (pesto and garden, $9.95 each). Brookfield is the only location with lunch service. Spring has invaded that menu, too, with choices of this ilk: lobster and shrimp salad ($13.95), short rib panini ($9.95), and grilled salmon on brioche with arugula and tomato relish ($10.95). Shorewood’s hours: Mon-Sat 4:30-10 p.m.; Sun 4:30-9 p.m. Brookfield’s: Mon-Sat 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sun 10 a.m.-9 p.m.
Race for the Cured
So there’s this cool place in Riverwest called Bolzano Artisan Meats (3950 N. Holton St., 414-426-6380). I’ve mentioned their Charcuterie School. It’s usually a Saturday event, but now it’s been expanded to include two Fridays: May 21 and June 4, both at 6 p.m. Each 1.5-hour class includes a tour of the cured meats facility, a history lesson and sampling flights of the products (pancetta, prosciutto, peppered tenderloin, etc.). A bonus is since you’re there, you can buy, buy, buy. Each class is $20. Send an e-mail to info@bolzanomeats.com to sign up for a class. Other Bolzano news: The company has a kiosk at Rupena’s (in the Milwaukee Public Market, 400 N. Water St.). The meats are sold there in quarter-pound packages.
Jake’s, at the Half
Top restaurants is the cover story in the May issue of Milwaukee Magazine.Tenderloin is the name of the game at one of the 25 – Jake’s (21445 Gumina Rd.) – but it’s not the only game. Jake’s repertoire includes duck and fresh fish. For more on that, you might want to pick up the issue, on newsstands now. Later this month, the Pewaukee restaurant – which traces its roots to the old circa-1960 North Avenue venue – will celebrate its 50th anniversary on Sunday, May 23. It’ll be a night to live in the past. The Jake’s tenderloin will go for $10.95 (but enter a raffle and you may get it for $1.95). Drink specials that evening include $1.95 old fashioneds, $9.95 carafes of red and white house wine, and $1 taps of Pabst Blue Ribbon. They’re accepting reservations now: 262-781-7995.
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Don’t miss this week’s Shopaholic to learn about new stores and events in the world of local retail.
If you spot any restaurant openings or closings, don’t hesitate to post them on my column, or e-mail me directly: ann.christenson@milwaukeemagazine.com.
